Champagne
Champagne
is a sparkling wine produced from grapes grown in the Champagne appellation of
France following rules that demand secondary fermentation of the wine in the
bottle to create carbonation Some use the term champagne as a generic term for
sparkling wine, but many countries reserve the term exclusively for sparkling
wines that come from Champagne and are produced under the rules of the
Champagne appellation..
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative
province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production
of the sparkling white wine that bears the region’s name. EU law and the laws
of most countries reserve the term “Champagne” exclusively for wines that come
from this region located about 100 miles (160 km) east of Paris. The
viticultural boundaries of Champagne are legally defined and split into five
wine producing districts within the administrative province: Aube, Côte des
Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. The towns
of Reims and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area.
Grape varieties and styles
Champagne
is a single Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. As a general rule, grapes used
must be the white Chardonnay, or the dark-skinned “red wine grapes” Pinot Noir
or Pinot Meunier. Due to the gentle pressing of the grapes and absence of skin
contact during fermentation, the dark-skinned varieties also yield a white
wine. Most Champagnes are made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, for
example 60%/40%. Blanc de blanc (“white from white”) Champagnes are made from
100% Chardonnay. Blanc de noir (“white from black”) Champagne is pressed from
Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a mix of the two.
The
2010 version of the appellation regulations lists seven varieties as allowed,
Arbanne, Chardonnay, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, and
Pinot Noir. But varieties other than Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay
are rarely used. The main areas of production are:
1. Montagne de Reims
2.Valée de la Marne
3.Côte des Blanc
4.Côte de Sézanne
5.Aube
Pinot
Noir is the most widely planted grape in the Aube region and grows very well in
Montagne de Reims. Pinot Meunier is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la
Marne region. The Côte des Blancs is dedicated almost exclusively to
Chardonnay.
Geography
and climate
The Champagne province is located near the northern limits of the wine world
along the 49th parallel. The high altitude and mean annual temperature of 10 °C
(50 °F) creates a difficult environment for wine grapes to fully ripen.
Ripening is aided by the presence of forests which helps to stabilize
temperatures and maintain moisture in the soil. The cool temperatures serve to
produce high levels of acidity in the resulting grape which is ideal for
sparkling wine.
During the growing season, the mean July temperature is 18 °C (66 °F). The
average annual rainfall is 630 mm (25 inches), with 45 mm (1.8 inches) falling
during the harvest month of September. Throughout the year, growers must be
mindful of the hazards of fungal disease and early spring frost.
Ancient oceans left behind chalk subsoil deposits when they receded 70 million
years ago. Earthquakes that rocked the region over 10 million years ago pushed
the marine sediments of belemnite fossils up to the surface to create the
belemnite chalk terrain. The belemnite in the soil allows it to absorb heat
from the sun and gradually release it during the night as well as providing
good drainage. This soil contributes to the lightness and finesse that is
characteristic of Champagne wine. The Aube area is an exception with
predominately clay based soil. The chalk is also used in the construction of
underground cellars that can keep the wines cool through the bottle maturation
process.
Classification
of Champagne vineyards
Classifications and vineyard regulations
In 1927, viticultural boundaries of Champagne were legally defined and split
into five wine producing districts- The Aube, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne,
Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. This area covers 33,500 hectares
(76,000 acres) of vineyards around 319 villages that are home to 5,000 growers
who make their own wine and 14,000 growers who only sell grapes. The region is
set to expand to include 359 villages in the near future.
The different districts produce grapes of varying characteristics that are
blended by the champagne houses to create their distinct house styles. The
Pinots of the Montagne de Reims that are planted on northern facing slopes are
known for their high levels of acid and the delicacy they add to the blend. The
grapes on the southern facing slope add more power and character. Grapes across
the district contribute to the bouquet and headiness. The abundance of southern
facing slopes in the Vallée de la Marne produces the ripest wines with full
aroma. The Côte des Blancs grapes are known for their finesse and the freshness
they add to blends with the extension of the nearby Côte de Sézanne offering
similar though slightly less distinguished traits.[
In 1942, the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) was formed
with the purpose of protecting Champagne's reputation and marketing forces as
well as setting up and monitoring regulations for vineyard production and
vinification methods. Champagne is the only region that is permitted to exclude
AOC or Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée from their labels.
For each vintage, the CIVC rated the villages of the area based on the quality
of their grapes and vineyards. The rating was then used to determine the price
and the percentage of the price that growers get. The Grand Cru rated vineyards
received 100 percent rating which entitled the grower to 100% of the price.
Premier Crus were vineyards with 90–99% ratings while Deuxième Crus received
80–89% ratings.
Under appellation rules, around 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of grapes can be
pressed to create up to 673 gallons (either 2,550 L or 3,060 L) of juice. The
first 541 gallons (either 2,050 L or 2,460 L) are the cuvée and the next 132
gallons (either 500 L or 600 L) are the taille. Prior to 1992, a second taille
of 44 gallons (either 167 L or 200 L)was previously allowed. For vintage
champagne, 100% of the grapes must come from that vintage year while
non-vintage wine is a blend of vintages. Vintage champagne must spend a minimum
three years on its lees with some of premier champagne houses keeping their
wines on lines for upwards of five to ten years. Non-vintage champagne must
spend a minimum of 15 months on the lees.
The
classification of Champagne vineyards developed in the mid-20th century as a
means of setting the price of grapes grown through the villages of the
Champagne wine region. Unlike the classification of Bordeaux wine estates or
Burgundy Grand cru vineyards, the classification of Champagne is broken down
based on what village the vineyards are located in. A percentile system known
as the Échelle des Crus ("ladder of growth") acts as a pro-rata
system for determining grape prices. Vineyards located in villages with high rates
will receive higher prices for their grapes than vineyards located in villages
with a lower rating. While the Échelle des Crus system was originally conceived
as a 1-100 point scale, in practice, the lowest rated villages are rated at
80%. Premier crus villages are rated between 90 and 99 percent while the
highest rated villages, with 100% ratings are Grand crus.
Pricing structure
The Échelle des Crus was originally established as a fixed pricing structure.
The price for a kilogram of grapes was set and vineyards owners would receive a
fraction of that price depending on the village rating where they were located.
Vineyards in Grand crus villages would receive 100% of the price while Premier
crus village with a 95 rating would receive 95% of the price and so forth down
the line. Today the business dynamic between Champagne houses and vineyards
owners is not so strictly regulated but the classification system still serves
as an aide in determining prices with Grand and Premier crus vineyards
receiving considerably more for their grapes than vineyards in villages with
ratings below 90%.[
Grand crus
When
the Échelle des Crus was first established 12 villages received Grand cru
status. In 1985 that number was expanded to 17 with the promotion of five
villages). Less than 9% of all the planted vineyard land in Champagne have
received a 100% Grand cru rating. All of the Grand cru and Premier cru villages
are located in the Marne department.
Usage
in Champagne
Champagne is primarily a product of vast blending - of different grape
varieties, different vintages and different vineyards - with a typical
non-vintage blend being composed of grapes from up to 80 different vineyards.
However for their prestige cuvee (such as Moët et Chandon's Dom Pérignon or
Louis Roederer's Cristal) Champagne producers will often limit the grape
sources to only Grand cru (and sometimes Premier crus) vineyards. While single
vineyard Champagnes are rare, they do exist, such as Krug's Clos du Mesnil
coming from the Grand cru vineyard located near Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.[ Grower
Champagnes, the product of a single producer and vineyard owner, located in
Grand cru villages will often label their wines "100% Grand cru" if
their wines qualify for the designation.
Use of
the word champagne
There are many sparkling wines produced worldwide, yet most] legal structures
reserve the word champagne exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne
region, made in accordance with Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne
regulations. In the European Union and many other countries, the name Champagne
is legally protected by the Treaty of Madrid (1891), which reserved it for the
sparkling wine produced in the eponymous region and adhering to the standards
defined for it as an Appellation d’origine contrôlée; the protection was
reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. Similar legal
protection has been adopted by over 70 countries. Most recently Canada,
Australia, and Chile signed agreements with Europe that limit the use of the
term “champagne” to only those products produced in the Champagne region. The
United States bans the use from all new U.S.-produced wines.[ Only those that
had approval to use the term on labels before 2006 may continue to use it and
only when it is accompanied by the wine’s actual origin (e.g., “California”).
The majority of U.S.-produced sparkling wines do not use the term champagne on
their labels and some states, such as Oregon, ban producers in their states
from using the term.
Even the terms méthode champenoise and champagne method were forbidden by an EU
court decision in 1994. As of 2005, the description most often used for
sparkling wines not from Champagne yet using the second fermentation in the
bottle process is méthode traditionnelle. Sparkling wines are produced worldwide,
and many producers use special terms to define them: Spain uses Cava, Italy
designates it spumante, and South Africa uses cap classique. An Italian
sparkling wine made from the Muscat grape uses the DOCG Asti. In Germany, Sekt
is a common sparkling wine. Other French wine regions cannot use the name
Champagne: e.g., Burgundy and Alsace produce Crémant. In 2008, more than 3000
bottles of sparkling wine produced in California labeled with the term
“Champagne” were destroyed by Belgian government authorities.
The village of Champagne, Switzerland, has traditionally made a still wine
labelled as “champagne”, the earliest records of viticulture dated to 1657. In
an accord with the EU, the Swiss government conceded in 1999 that by 2004 the
village would phase out use of the name. Sales dropped from 110,000 bottles a
year to 32,000 after the change. In April 2008 the villagers resolved to fight
against the restriction following a Swiss open-air vote.
Methode´
Champenois
Harvesting
Harvest
dates are usually 100 days after flowering, and the exact starting date is
fixed by the CIVC. This will be determined by the composition of the grapes so
that the sugar levels will be sufficient to produce wines of 10 to 11 percent
alcohol whilst retaining sufficient acidity to balance. Chardonnay is usually a
week later than the two Pinots. Occurring normally in mid-September, 2007 was
an unusually early vintage and starting dates are predicted to be 4-6 weeks
ahead of schedule. The grapes are always harvested by hand, and begins in the
cool of the dawn to prevent spontaneous fermentation. Picking in full sunlight
or in the rain is also avoided. Pressing plants will be located as near to the
vineyards as possible to ensure the process can begin as quickly as possible
Pressing
To
ensure the best possible juice quality, the amount of liquid extracted from the
grapes is stringently regulated. Inspectors from the CIVC are common sights in
the press-houses to ensure this. Traditional flat basket presses are used as it
is believed that this is the gentlest form of extraction, due to the large
surface area and the small fruit loads allows the juice to drain without
picking up harsh tannins along the way. Modern pneumatic bladder presses are
also used as they are much faster and less labour intensive. The bunches are
always put through whole as the stems and stalks act as a natural sieve for the
juice to pass through. The juice is released from the press in the order of
quality, the more the fruit is pressed, the higher the uptake of tannins,
through skin and seed contact. The best quality juice always comes from the
free-run and first pressing. Second pressings may be used but generally for
lesser wines or sold off.
Under appellation rules, around 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of grapes can be
pressed to create up to 673 gallons (either 2,550 L or 3,060 L) of juice. The
first 541 gallons (either 2,050 L or 2,460 L) are the cuvée and the next 132
gallons (either 500 L or 600 L) are the taille. Prior to 1992, a second taille
of 44 gallons (either 167 L or 200 L) was previously allowed. For vintage
champagne, 100% of the grapes must come from that vintage year while
non-vintage wine is a blend of vintages. Vintage champagne must spend a minimum
three years on its lees with some of premier champagne houses keeping their
wines on lees for upwards of five to ten years. Non-vintage champagne must
spend a minimum of 15 months on the lees.[
Settling
Skins
and other impurities in the must need to be removed this can be achieved by a
filter or centrifuge, but most producers will allow this to occur naturally by
gravity settling. If the must is chilled to -5 degrees C, this process will be
quicker and more thorough
Primer
Fermentation
Once the must has settled the clear juice will be racked off into clean
fermentation vats. Small vats allow greater control over the individual
components and stainless steel ensures cleanliness. However producers such as
Alfred Gratien and Krug still prefer fermentation in oak barrels.Fermentation
normally lasts about 10 days and takes palce at about 18-20 C, some producers
prefer cooler temperatures to preserve the wines fruitiness. The choice of
malolactic fermentation or not is generally a house style decision.This process
converts the tart malic acid into the milder lactic acid. The advantage of the
process is that it makes wines much more approachable when young. Wines that
have not undergone malolactic fermentation are more acidic and sharp in their
youth but retain a high level of acidity for a very long time, acting as a
preservative.
Cold
stabilization
Once fermentation is complete the wine will be cold stabilized to remove any
suspended material, and also to prevent tartrate precipitation at a later
stage. It will then be racked off its lees and further clarified by filtering
or fining.
Blending
The most important stage of the Methode Champenois process and the best example
of where art meets science. It requires great skill and experience to create a
consistent house style particularly when vintage conditions can vary widely.
The cellar master has at his disposal a range of varieties, from different
villages and vintages- all of which will be considered through constant
tastings- as to what will constitute the final blend. The greater the tasting
skill of the blender, the more influence that can be brought to the final
blend. At a large house such as Moet, the cellar master has over 800 vats
sourced from over 150 villages to choose from. In lesser vintages, reserve
wines from previous vintages will be used to achieve balance and consistency.
As the blend will contain numerous wines of differing chemical composition, the
finished blend will once more have to be clarified, filtered and fined to
produce a stable final product free of any impurities. The wine will then undergo
its third and final racking. This blend is called as the vin de cuvee or simply
cuvee.
Most Champagnes are made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, for example
60%/40%. Blanc de blanc (“white from white”) Champagnes are made from 100%
Chardonnay.
Blanc
de noir (“white from black”) Champagne is pressed from Pinot Noir, Pinot
Meunier or a mix of the two.
Liqueur
de tirage
After
racking the wines will be transferred to the bottling line where the liqueur de
tirage mixture which is a mixture of reserve wine, sugar and selected yeast
will be added to the base wine prior to bottling to promote a secondary
fermentation in the bottle. Sugar is necessary in the blend as all base wines
for Champagne are dry, with no fermentable sugars.
Secondary
fermentation:
During
the first alcoholic fermentation, carbon dioxide is formed and dispelled into
the air, but during the second fermentation all the carbon dioxide is
imprisoned in the bottle. The bottled wines will then be brought down to the
cellars where the temperature is a constant 10-12 C, and laid down horizontally
on racks to rest and develop their all important sparkle. The cool temperature
allows for a slow and gradual fermentation with smaller, finer bubbles
produced. During this time the wine will gain creaminess and complexity through
the wines contact with the yeast sediment (lees). Restacking and shaking of the
bottles is carried out at various intervals to avoid the yeast sticking to the
bottle, which could later cause clarification problems. Such shifting of
bottles periodically is referred to as poignetage.
Under the Appellation d’origine contrôlée, Champagne requires a minimum of 1.5
years to develop completely. In years where the harvest is exceptional, a
vintage (millesimé) is declared and the wine must mature for at least three
years.
The amount of added sugar determines the pressure of the bottle. To reach the
standard value of 6 bars (600 kPa) inside the bottle, it is necessary to have
18 grams of sugar; the amount of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is regulated
by the European Commission (Regulation 1622/2000, 24 July 2000) to be 0.3 gram
per bottle. The liqueur de tirage is then a mixture of sugar, yeast and still
Champagne wine.
Aging
on lees
Non-vintage wine from Champagne cannot legally be sold until it has aged on the
lees in the bottle for at least 15 months. Champagne’s AOC regulations further
require that vintage Champagnes be aged in cellars for three years or more
before disgorgement, but most top producers exceed the requirement, holding
bottles on the lees for 6 to 8 years.
Remuage
Once secondary fermentation is completed the dead yeast lees need to be removed
from the bottle. Traditionally the bottles are moved to angled wooden racks
(pupitres) where each bottle must be gradually riddled ( where the bottles are
slowly tilted from a horizontal to vertical position) to encourage the sediment
to move down the bottle and into the neck. A skilled remueur can move tens of
thousands of bottles in a day, and the whole process can take several months.
Today, many houses use the gyropalette, a machine which greatly shortens the
riddling time to just over a week.
Alginate
beads
Moet & Chandon has done an enormous amount of research into the development
of the alginate yeast capsules, whereby the yeast are trapped inside the porous
beads, and removal is straightforward. This could theoretically make riddling
and gyropallettes redundant, however more research is still required as Moet
are still not entirely satisfied with the results.
Maturation
Once the sediment has been moved into the neck, the bottles will be matured sur
pointes (upside down or ‘on tiptoe’) for up to five years, with the wine
greater complexity through contact with the yeast lees.
Disgorgement
The
final stage in the production of Champagne where the yeast is finally removed
before corking. As this movement briefly exposes the wine to air the operation
needs to be performed as quickly as possible to prevent oxidation. As the yeast
deposit has moved into the neck space, the bottles are inverted and the necks
placed into a freezing brine solution of -28 C. The deposit is half frozen and
viscous and easily removed by the pressure of the Champagne as the crown seal
is removed. Some winemakers still perform this task by hand, such as Salon,
where they wish to check and aerate the wine. The volume of wine lost at
disgorgement will be replaced by the dosage.
Dosage
The
dosage or liqueur d’expedition is a mixture of wine and sugar, the level of
sweetness will depend on the style required. For young wines that may be dry
yet acidic, this dosage will give greater balance and approachability. For
wines that have undergone long aging on the yeast lees and gained complexity
and roundness with time, dosage may not be required, but will still need
topping up with wine after the removal of the sediment. One such example are
the brilliant late disgorged wines from Jacquesson, which require no dosage,
and show how magnificent aged Champagne can become.
¤
Brut-Naturale: 0-3 gram of sugar per liter (the driest of the dry, unsweetened)
◘ Extra-Brut less
than 0-6 gram of sugar per liter (dry, this is the typical style of Champagne
with no sweetness)
¤ Brut 0-12 grams of sugar per litre of Champagne
◘ Extra-Dry 12-17
gram of sugar per liter (still dry with a hint of sweetness or slightly sweet)
◘ Sec 17-32 gram
of sugar per liter (medium sweet)
◘ Demi-Sec 32-50
gram of sugar per liter (sweet)
◘ Doux more than
50 gram of sugar per liter (Sweetest, very rare and is considered as dessert
wine)
Packaging
Once
the liqueur d’expedition has been added the bottles will immediately be corked
and shaken to ensure the dosage is mixed in thoroughly with the wine in bottle.
The cork will then be held in place by a wire cage called a muselet. Some wines
will undergo additional aging on the cork to achieve greater complexity, as the
esters introduce further characters such as coffee, caramel and even mushroom
notes.
Bottle
aging
Even
experts disagree about the effects of aging on Champagne after disgorgement.
Some prefer the freshness and vitality of young, recently disgorged Champagne,
and others prefer the baked apple and caramel flavors that develop from a year
or more of bottle aging. In 2009, a 184-year-old bottle of Perrier-Jouët was
opened and tasted, still drinkable, with notes of “truffles and caramel”,
according to the experts.
Champagne
producers
There
are more than one hundred Champagne houses and 19,000 smaller vignerons
(vine-growing producers) in Champagne. These companies manage some 32,000
hectares of vineyards in the region. The type of Champagne producer can be
identified from the abbreviations followed by the official number on the
bottle:[
• NM: Négociant manipulant. These companies (including the majority of the
larger brands) buy grapes and make the wine
• CM: Coopérative de manipulation. Cooperatives that make wines from the
growers who are members, with all the grapes pooled together
• RM: Récoltant manipulant. (Also known as Grower Champagne) A grower that also
makes wine from its own grapes (a maximum of 5% of purchased grapes is
permitted). Note that co-operative members who take their bottles to be
disgorged at the co-op can now label themselves as RM instead of RC
• SR: Société de récoltants. An association of growers making a shared
Champagne but who are not a co-operative
• RC: Récoltant coopérateur. A co-operative member selling Champagne produced
by the co-operative under its own name and label
• MA: Marque auxiliaire or Marque d’acheteur. A brand name unrelated to the
producer or grower; the name is owned by someone else, for example a
supermarket
• ND: Négociant distributeur. A wine merchant selling under his own name
Types of Champagne
Non
vintage Champagne
Most of
the Champagne produced today is “Non-vintage”, meaning that it is a blended
product of grapes from multiple vintages. Most of the base will be from a
single year vintage with producers blending anywhere from 10–15% (even as high
as 40%) of wine from older vintages.
Vintage
Champagne
Prepared
exclusively from grapes of a vintage year. Under Champagne wine regulations,
houses that make both vintage and non-vintage wines are allowed to use no more
than 80% of the total vintage’s harvest for the production of vintage
Champagne. This allows at least 20% of the harvest from each vintage to be
reserved for use in non-vintage Champagne .
Prestige
cuvee
A cuvée
de prestige is a proprietary blended wine (usually a Champagne) that is
considered to be the top of a producer’s range. Famous examples include Louis
Roederer’s Cristal, Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle, Moët & Chandon’s Dom
Pérignon, Duval-Leroy’s Cuvée Femme and Pol Roger’s Cuvée Sir Winston
Churchill. Perhaps the original prestige cuvée was Moët & Chandon’s Dom
Pérignon launched in 1936 with the 1921 vintage.
Blanc
de noirs
A
French term (literally “white of blacks”) for a white wine produced entirely
from black grapes. Black, or red, grapes have a white flesh and grape juice
obtained after minimal possible contact with the skins produces white wine, the
colour of which is offset by the small amount of red skin pigments and turns
into lighter shades of yellow, often described as white-yellow, white-grey, or
silvery. It basically refers to a Champagne made entirely from black grapes.
Blanc
de blancs
A
French term that means “white of whites”, and is used to designate Champagnes
made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. A famous example is Ruinart. The term
is occasionally used in other sparkling wine-producing regions, usually to
denote Chardonnay-only wines rather than any sparkling wine made from other
white grape varieties.
Rosé
Champagne
The
rosé wines of Champagne (also known as Pink Champagne) are produced either by
leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on its skins for a brief
time (known as the saigneé method) or, more commonly, by adding a small amount
of still Pinot noir red wine to the sparkling wine cuvee. Champagne is
typically light in colour even if it is produced with red grapes, because the
juice is extracted from the grapes using a gentle process that minimizes the
amount of time the juice spends in contact with the skins, which is what gives
red wine its colour. Rosé Champagne is one of the few wines that allows the
production of Rosé by the addition a small amount of red wine during blending.
This ensures a predictable and reproducible colour, allowing a constant Rosé
colour from year-to-year.
Due to the comparatively high risk and cost of using the saigneé or ‘skin
contact only’ technique, there are very few producers who habitually do not add
any additional red wine.
Champagne
bottles
The different sizes and capacities of Champagne bottles seen in the market are
Bottle—750
ml
Magnum – 1.5 litres
Champagne is normally fermented in these two sized bottles
Jeroboam – 3 litres
Rehoboam – 4.5 litres
Methuselah – 6 litres
Salmanazar – 9 litres
Balthazar – 12 litres
Nebuchadnezzar – 15 litres
Champagne
corks
Champagne
corks are built from several sections and are referred to as agglomerated
corks. The mushroom shape that occurs in the transition is a result of the
bottom section, which is in contact with the wine, being composed of two
stacked discs of pristine cork, cemented to the upper portion which is a
conglomerate of ground cork and glue. Prior to insertion, a sparkling wine cork
is almost 50% larger than the opening of the bottle. Originally they start as a
cylinder and are compressed prior to insertion into the bottle. Over time their
compressed shape becomes more permanent and the distinctive “mushroom” shape
becomes more apparent.
The aging of the Champagne post disgorgement can to some degree be told by the
cork, as the longer it has been in the bottle the less it returns to its
original cylinder shape.
Other
methods of sparkling wine production
While
the traditional, or “Champagne method”, is the most widely known style of
production, there are several ways to produce sparkling wine that are less
costly in labor.
Metodo
Italiano (Charmat process)
The
Charmat process is known as Metodo Charmat-Martinotti (or Metodo Italiano) in
Italy, where it was invented and is most used. The wine undergoes secondary
fermentation in stainless steel tanks or steel vessels covered with vitreous
enamel rather than individual bottles, and is bottled under pressure in a
continuous process. Many grape varieties, including Prosecco, are best suited
for fermentation in tanks. Charmat method sparkling wines can be produced at a
slightly lower cost than méthode champenoise wines.
Transfer
method
This
follows the first steps of “methode champenoise” in that after primary
fermentation the cuvée is transferred to bottles to complete secondary
fermentation. When the secondary fermentation is complete and the wine has
spent the desired amount of time in bottle on yeast lees (six months is the
requirement to label a wine ‘bottle fermented’) then the individual bottles are
transferred (hence the name) into a larger tank. The wine is then filtered, the
liqueur de dosage added, and then filled back into new bottles for sale. This
method allows for complexity to be built into the wine, but also gives scope
for blending options after the wine has gone into bottle.
Artificial
carbonation
Comparatively
inexpensive sparkling wine is made by simple injection of CO2 from a
carbonator. This way of
manufacturing is not allowed in the European Union.
Champagne
shippers
Abelé,
Ayala, Billecart-Salmon, Boizel, Bollinger, Brice, Brun, Bruno Paillard, Burtin
– Besserat de Bellefon, Charles Heidsieck, Delamotte, Deutz, Gosset, Heidsieck
& Co Monopole, Henriot, Jacquesson, Joseph Perrier, Krug, Lanson,
Laurent-Perrier, Mercier, Moët & Chandon, Mumm, Perrier-Jouët,
Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Ruinart, Taittinger